Treasurer Candidates Spar Over Health Care Policy

The campaign for Treasurer
this year is the most contentious statewide race. On Friday, the candidates met
in one of their final debates of the campaign and they used the forum as a way
to sharply criticize each other.

Incumbent Democratic
Treasurer Beth Pearce supports Governor Peter Shumlin's plan to implement a
single payer health care system in Vermont because she thinks it will help contain costs and
provide universal access.

Her Republican challenger,
Wendy Wilton, doesn't support single payer because Wilton says this approach is likely to bankrupt the state.

Pearce said Wilton's analysis is premature, biased and not based on any
real facts.

"When you make comments such
as ‘the Governor must be reading from the Sandinista playbook as he has
proposed a huge stealth tax increase on Vermont's middle class," said Pearce.
"These are statements you made as a candidate before a funding plan has even
been produced. You have a predisposition toward ideological battles that do no
belong in the Treasurer's office."

Wilton says she opposes single payer because of financial
concerns, not ideology, and she said Pearce hasn't done her homework on this
issue.

"It's
interesting that you mention that. At least I've done the math. Beth you know
you're out there supporting a political position strictly political position on
health care that you're fully supportive of single payer," said Wilton. "But
you have not a shred of due diligence to back up that opinion. So I think of
the two of us, at least I've done some due diligence."

Progressive Don Schramm is a
strong supporter of single payer and he also backs the creation of a Vermont
State Bank.

"There's 17 other states at
this moment at different stages of creating their own state bank and I think
that we should look into this," said Schramm. "Explore the possibility
thoroughly because it's one of the very best ways we can invest some of the
state money locally. Too much of the state's money now is going out of the
state."

Lawmakers are scheduled to
get a report during the 2013 session that outlines the pros and cons of
creating a state bank in Vermont.